Cyber-Attacks Up 37% Over Past Month as #COVID19 Bites

Online threats have risen by as much as six-times their usual levels over the past four weeks as the COVID-19 pandemic provides new ballast for cyber-attacks, according to Cloudflare.

The web security and content delivery vendor analyzed UK traffic figures for the past four weeks compared to the previous month and noted a sharp uptick in malicious activity.

It revealed that hacking and phishing attempts were up 37% month-on-month, while on some days, the firm was blocking between four- and six-times the number of attacks it would usually see.

The firm said the uptick was the result of “recreational” hackers with more time on their hands. However, professional cyber-criminals are also using the global incident to further their own agendas.

Phishing attempts have soared by over 600% since the end of February, including traditional impersonation scams but also business email compromise (BEC) and extortion attacks, according to Barracuda Networks.

In Hong Kong, likely state-sponsored attackers are even using the virus as a lure to trick users into clicking on news links booby-trapped with iOS spyware.

Domain registrars are ramping up efforts to halt automatic registration of any website names that are linked to COVID-19, for fear they may be phishing sites or those selling counterfeit goods like surgical masks and pharmaceuticals.